In critical care situations, an IV rock of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,122 is used in order to supply the patient with the multiple fluids that may be required as dictated by the patient's condition. Such fluids include heparin, nitroglycerin, antibiotics, nutrients and the like. In extreme situations, such as those involving bum patients, as many as twelve to fifteen IV infusions with twelve to fifteen separate pump assemblies may be required.
Each pump assembly is connected to an electrical outlet that provides 110 volts to drive the pump assembly. The pump assembly contains a pump, and a DC power supply that is utilized to keep the pump operating when the 110 volt AC power supply is disconnected, as for example, when a patient is transferred from the hospital room to another location in the hospital for diagnosis or treatment.
The current hardware and practices for infusion delivery systems suffer major disadvantages. The multiple connectors joining the pump assemblies to the 110 volt AC outlets add to the general untidiness and complexity of the diagnosis and treatment equipment surrounding the patient and the hospital bed. Furthermore, the power supply, processor, and visual display associated with each pump assembly and IV container substantially increases the required size by way of required volume of space occupied by the pump assembly and its weight and cost of, and difficulty in managing, the infusion delivery system. All of this in turn provides a practical limit for the number of pump assemblies and IV containers to be mounted on a single IV rack. Furthermore, multiple pump assemblies and IV containers must be transported with the movement of the patient from time to time, thereby providing a cumbersome and difficult situation.